Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the staff for their support and professionalism throughout this term. The need to streamline the CPO process has been mentioned. This is really important because the process is not user-friendly, certainly not in Dublin City Council. Limerick was mentioned as being an exemplar in terms of dealing with derelict sites. Dublin City Council is particularly poor at dealing with derelict sites. I know of five units very close to here that have been empty for years. The entire street is effectively empty. It is in an area where there is the possibility of very high rents. They are building up to ten or 11 storeys everywhere around it yet on Townsend Street, which is not too far from here, there are four or five units that are lying derelict. There is no life in the street and it takes down the energy of the street.

When I first looked at the Bill, I saw the words "dereliction" and "regeneration" and thought it would be really welcome to see a discussion on the neglect, dereliction and need for regeneration of Dublin City Council flat complexes. We are talking about dereliction. Dublin City Council has neglected the residents of these complexes and social housing across the inner city to a criminal level. Examples include rats, flooding, raw sewage being pumped out on to balconies, the lack of cleaning, bins and the bin storage not being maintained properly and the lack of estate managers. Dublin City Council's neglect of inner-city Dublin is criminal. If private residences were in the same condition, there would be outrage, laws would be brought in and there would be debates here but because it involves Dublin City Council tenants, they are treated really poorly, which is very unfair.

I was once in Leo Fitzgerald House, which is not too far from here. When you go up to the top balcony, it is like a prison with the spikes and barriers. It is horrendous. There are 200 flats in Markievicz House and right on the corner of that development is a site that has been derelict for years and is the source of rats that are plaguing residents in one part of Markievicz House. Dublin City Council should have three estate managers.

At one stage, there were no estate managers dealing with the flat complexes. Of course, there is going to be neglect because they are not putting the resources in or the proper management that identifies these issues and does something about them. People being allowed to live in these conditions is completely unacceptable. It is not just in the very heart of the inner city. We are talking about flat complexes in Rathmines, Beech Hill in Donnybrook, in Ringsend and on Bishop Street. While we are talking about neglect, dereliction and regeneration, a couple of years ago it was announced that there would be regeneration of Pearse House. The redevelopment of this is glacial and it is unacceptable that people are allowed live in these conditions and in this uncertainty. Five or six years ago, St. Andrew's Court, again very close to here, was proposed for regeneration and redevelopment. It was proposed that it would be knocked and rebuilt. A private developer has built 21 apartments, which he finished two years ago, and there are people living in them. The council is still faffing around with plans for regeneration of that site.

I criticise the council but ultimately the buck stops with Government and with the Minister. The Government has neglected those living in the inner city. I would be more than happy to accompany the Minister of State to any of the flats and show him the conditions. There is a young woman who had breast cancer who keeps her flat spotless and yet there is raw sewage coming out of the pipes and running down her balcony. There are condoms, hair and wipes all coming out onto the balcony and that has been going on for nearly a month. It is like the council just does not care; it really just does not care. It says it will send someone out but you will never see them. If someone does come out, they say they will be back, but they do not come back. This young woman has gone through enough. That is the way most tenants are treated. They are treated abysmally and then they are expected to pay extortionate rents in some instances. What do they get for it? They get neglect and dereliction. That needs to be addressed.

I have raised this issue many a time. I have looked to raise it at various levels here and to have a debate around dereliction of the flat complexes and of the inner city. We are all talk about the need for a revitalised city. We are not going to do it if we do not have decent accommodation for those living in the inner city.

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I know I went off tack but I hope everybody enjoys the recess.

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